Ravens by George Dawes Green

Shaw McBride was sick and tired of his luck. Shoot, if he had any luck at all, it was all bad. Taking off on a road trip to Florida with his buddy Romeo Zderko, he thought things could really only get better. Then sure enough… as they passed through a small town in Georgia they had to stop to fix a leaky tire.

Just like Shaw thought… no luck at all but bad…

But when Shaw enters the gas station he overheard the lady behind the counter talking excitedly on the phone…

“Yes! The 318 million dollar Georgia Lottery ticket has been sold at this very station! Yes! One winner! Yes, the Boatwright’s, right here in town! They can really use the money!”

And at that moment… Shaw had a plan that he knew would change his luck forever.

Finding the Boatwrights was easy, and fooling them in to believing he was with the State Lottery just stopping in to give them some advice on what would happen next went off without a hitch. Once invited inside, Shaw laid out his plan to the family – when the camera people arrive, they say the ticket was purchased by both he and the Boatwrights and therefore, he rightfully receives half. Meanwhile, Romeo is watching the town, visiting friends and family of the Boatwrights, ready to start killing the moment Shaw says….

but if the Boatwrights cooperate, all will be spared and Shaw and Romeo will be a lot richer.

The Boatwrights find themselves in a nightmare… what should have been the most exciting time of their life has turned out to be the deadliest.

Why did I want to listen to this audio? I remember about a year ago seeing some reviews on the book. It sounded interesting but I did not have time to take on another book… audio however, is another story :)

Ravens is like nothing I have experienced before. The story of two low life characters like Shaw and Romeo going after lottery winners didn’t seem like it could hold an entire book. And when so much had happened by the third cd in this 8 cd listen, I wondered what would hold the story up for the rest of the read.

I shouldn’t have worried.

George Dawes Green does an amazing job keeping this story moving. Not only moving, but moving in a powerful way that made me wonder “what could happen next, and then…. that did not just happen!” How the whole lottery winner plan plays out is brilliant. Actually, it was almost spooky how well it is done because I can imagine it actually happening that way.

The many characters of Ravens are all well-developed which is no easy task. With narrators Robert Petkoff and Maggie-Meg Reed alternating charters you are in for a treat! Both narrators do a fantastic job. I have heard Maggie Meg Reed several times before but this was a first time for Robert Petkoff. Maggie-Meg taking on the thick Georgia accents was a lot of fun.

This book’s cover seems so serious to me, a real mismatch for the book you’re describing. Do you agree or will the cover make sense after reading? It sounds like a fun audiobook to listen to. Thanks for the review and the giveaway?

Well it is a serious read, a physiological thriller… a family taken hostage in their own home with Romeo ready to kill any of the extended family friends at a moments notice. Both Shaw and Romeo are a little whacked out but in very different ways – Shaw is so smart it is scary. It does have some humor in it because some of the extended family and friends are a little funny.
I tried to look up why the book is called Ravens but I do not see anything. I even looked up Ravens and they don’t seem to be such a dark spirited bird, but maybe they are… :D